1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to crosslinked fibers, and more particularly to the use of click chemistry to form the crosslinked fibers, methods of preparing such fibers, and surgical devices made from such fibers.
2. Background of Related Art
Methods for making monofilaments that are suitable to fabricate surgical articles, such as sutures, generally include the steps of extruding at least one bioabsorbable or nonbioabsorbable polymer to provide filaments, drawing or stretching the solidified filaments to achieve molecular orientation, and annealing the drawn filaments to relieve internal stresses.
Various spinning methods may be employed, such as melt spinning, wet or dry solvent spinning, and reaction spinning. Melt spinning uses heat to melt the fiber polymer to a viscosity suitable for extrusion through the spinneret. Solvent spinning uses large amount of organic solvents to dissolve the fiber polymer into a fluid polymer solution suitable for extrusion through a spinneret. Reaction spinning involves the formation of filaments from prepolymers and monomers that are further polymerized and cross-linked after the filament is formed.
Click chemistry refers to a collection of reactions capable of forming a highly reliable molecular connection in solution or bulk state. Click chemistry reactions may be highly selective, high yield reactions which should not interfere with one another as well as other reactions.
It would be desirable to make filaments useful in making surgical devices by extruding a mixture containing first and second precursors functionalized for crosslinking by click chemistry and aided by the process controls of the spinning process, such as temperature, pressure, and time.